Forevermore
by Frequency NecroKat
Summary: Complete rewrite of NAWC! In the new world, Will and his friends have no memory of their previous adventures in a near forgotten world. However, when chaos breaks out in this modern earth, things begin to change.
1. Sunday

**Forevermore**

**The Author's Tiny Preface**

Hello there! Sazu Taoi speaking. I'm glad you've come to read my fanfic, who knows how sad I would be if no one read this little beauty. For those who remember, this was previously titled 'New Adventures of Will and Crew", but upon running out of ideas, I pounced back to make this more canon and plop the stars of Illusion of Gaia into modern day California. Why California? Well, not to be a spoiler, but watching the map at the end puts South Cape at the southmost tippity tip of South America.

_No way_, I thought, _Not with my story at least._

So I plopped them in the nearest place, and got California. And that makes it easy for me, because I know California at least somewhat well enough for the first chapters.

Okay, I bet I'm boring you now. Onto the fic! Niaa!

Chapter One: Sunday

The beast threw its claws down in fiery anger, a force that shook the ground until the bricks of the golden temple threatened to give way with eerie creaks and crumbles. A young man, in his mid teens at least, dove from the monster in desperate panic, his vision blurred for a moment as he tumbled clumsily to the ground, banging his head hard but feeling no pain. He looked at the beast, a fearsome creature that could only fit its massive head and fat, clawed fingers through the pit in the floor that seemed to take up most of the room. Its mouth was lined with jagged teeth that covered and hid his lower jaw, and glowing green eyes looked down at him with no other emotion than wicked malice. The boy looked down at his hands, and found that what he held was not a noble sword or brutal ax, but a flute. His heart stopped in fear as he looked up hopelessly. His jeans, cotton shirt, and backpack would not provide any protection against the creature's attacks, and before he could dodge to escape, his world was enveloped in flames.

Will sat up with half a scream. Tangled bed sheets were caught around his feet, and his pillow rested across his stomach, his hand still holding it in a death grip. He looked around his room, the visions of the golden temple gone, replaced with his computer, posters, and furniture. The monster was gone, and the fire it exhaled left no burns. _A dream..._ he thought, _Only a dream._ He had begun to kick the blankets off when a plump woman, wearing a emerald green bathrobe and her hair up in curlers, burst through the door with an expression of pure worry and shock across her aged face.

"Will!" She gasped, bumbling into the tiny bedroom, "My goodness, are you okay?" She knelt down and gave him a look over.

"I'm okay, grandma." He took a deep breath and brought his hand up to his head, "I just had a bad dream, is all." He slowly stood up, followed by his grandmother. He knew that this wasn't the first time he had woken with a wild shout or desperate cry, and he well knew that his grandma knew the same and was growing concerned with his constant nightmares.

She sighed in relief and laughed, "Goodness gracious! You scared me half to death! Well, I'll get started on breakfast since I'm up. Get dressed and I'll have some oatmeal ready for you." She smirked and trotted off to the kitchen with tiny steps. 65 year old Grandma Lola was one of Will's guardians, his parent's having had an unfortunate car accident 8 years prior. She was a chubby, jovial woman with short, tightly curled red-brown hair and knack for 'exotic' cuisine. Her world travels in her younger days had given her an extensive, and sometimes vaguely frightening, menu. The other guardian was Will's grandfather, Bill. His short hair was a faded blueish silver, with lightning streaks of solid gray, which matched his mustache that hung over his lip with wispy hairs. He was a tall man with an athletic frame, who was once an architect for the city, and before then had worked in construction, but now filled his day with nothing more than tinkering with the household electronics and jogging all across their neighborhood, keeping in the best shape Will had ever seen for someone his age. They all crammed themselves into a relatively tiny two-bedroom apartment in the center of the great city they lived in. The old wild west had lost most of its great plains, hot deserts, and green forests to the concrete jungles that were making their way across the nation. Something about this made Will upset, and he wasn't sure why. He loved where he lived, but his heart would occasionally grow heavy as he looked out his window at the ever busy.

Will dressed himself quickly in a plain outfit that consisted of a blue printed t-shirt, a pair of mangled jeans, and some old tennis shoes, threw on his backpack and ran a comb through the halo of stringy gold bed-head before throwing on a baseball cap and skidding down the short hallway, planting himself on a dining room chair when he finaly stopped. Resting his elbows on the table's edge, his mind raced about the dream. Strange dreams had plagued him for almost a month, all the same; him fighting some strange creature or escaping a strange place with only his flute, which he used more for music class than brawling with beasts, to protect him. He'd never know what to do in these dreams, and would often wake up just before getting smashed, hit, electrified, eaten, or anything remotely similar to being killed. He couldn't figure out the bizarre dreams, and knew only that they woke him up every morning with a thundering heart. Creatures of fantasy thrived in them, and the mysterious dream-world consisted of vaguely familiar but compeletely different cultures.

"Will? Eat your food, honey. I at least want you full before you go running around causing trouble with your friends all day." Lola laughed.

_She still remembers that..._ Will sighed. It wasn't his fault Lance got them arrested for shoplifting. Every weekend, he and his friends would hang out in one of their rooms or at the mall, and it was Lance's apartment that they were all heading to that day. Kara, Will's crush, was tagging along behind the group, wearing her favorite pink dress and a ribbon headband that contrasted noticeably with her long, wavy black hair. Will had only known her a few months, ever since she came to California the long-distance from New York, but just looking into her brown eyes brought some odd pang in his heart, one of familiarity. She was more plain than other girls, without a particularly stunning face or body, but she mesmerized him into a trance every time. She was sometimes a little stuck up, and was richly treated at home. She had never lived anywhere but a city, and it showed. As Will emerged from the door to the apartments, he swung over the railing near the steps, and landed and lept off one of the many trash cans in a single, fluid motion. He darted across the street, timing to avoid the cars with honed precision. The vehicles zoomed past harmlessly as he glided from curb to curb to meet with his friends. He was always the daredevil sort. Not enough to consider killing things with a woodwind, but enough to sit on the outside sill of his window and preform acrobatics across trash cans and parked cars. His friends greeted him warmly as he bounced into view, although he spotted that Kara didn't approve of the near-lethal show of skill.

Lance was leading, as per usual. He was the local pride in archery contests, and was an amazing athlete all around. He and Will had been friends since they were young, and stayed together loyally through thick and thin. Lance had short, scruffy red hair and green eyes, and was wearing a white shirt and black pants with a dark coat covered in buttons and pins in true punk fashion, and somewhere within the mess of metal Will spotted a loose black tie. He certainly didn't look like a jock from a first glance, but he certainly looked like a troublemaker, always wearing a fox-like grin on his face. Then there was the youngest of the group, the bright eyed and naive Eric, who had adhered himself to the ring of friends years before. He was the only son of a big business CEO, but never spent any time at home despite the numerous comforts he had there. Even through the hottest days of summer, he was clad head to toe in every winter appropriate garment his mother had bought him. She had an unreasonable fear of him getting cold, it would seem. Just behind Will was Seth, who was born here, but had some unknown ethnicity that gave him an exotic appearance of a natural tan and grayish-purple eyes that almost matched his bright purple hair. Will had never gotten around to asking if it was dyed. He was the oldest at 16, and smart as a whip. His parents couldn't care less about his academic achievements, however. They fought continuously, and he'd be caught in the unfortunate crossfire. Will could sometimes catch a deep red mark on his face or a dark bruise on his arms, most likely inflicted by his drunkard father. Seth never awknowledged them, too used to it by now.

"Eric, what took you so long?" Kara leaned over his shoulder, a long, loose curl of hair following, "I thought you had ditched us again." She hugged her bag up against her chest, making sure none of its precious contents of make-up and magazines fell out.

"Hey, I had to get dressed." He motioned towards his clothes with a struggle. It had to be insanely hard to move with so many sweaters piled on his small body at once. His arms stuck comically outwards for comfort, and his chin was held high over his scarf to prevent suffocation.

"Your mom is lucky you don't get heat stroke in that." Seth said as he sped up to walk by Eric, "Did you try telling her it gets to almost eighty degrees out here in afternoon?" He drew back some unruly violet hair behind his ear and tugged questioningly at the end of Eric's scarf, which had to be nearly eight times too large for winter even.

Eric shook his head, "Why do you think I hang out with you guys all day? So I can get out of this stuff." He tore the scarf from his neck and started working on his sweater. The group chuckled at the flailing display as they neared Lance's apartment complex, a short building compared to most, and not to the fancier side of housing. One could spot alley cats lazing on the balconies and wilting flowers in the window sills. Cheap stained glass ornaments reflected the sun in brilliant color from their spots behind drawn curtains. The red brick work was patched over and covered with paint, making it look ancient amongst the office buildings and shops.

The group continued on, a low murmur of giggling a talking amongst themselves filled the air. Will had his mind on something else, though. A few feet away, Will saw the oddest looking people he had ever seen. His pace slowed, but went unnoticed by the rest of the posse. The two strangers were standing, no, hiding in one of the many dark alleys that lined the main streets like pathways in a maze. He couldn't make their faces out in the shadows. That was, until they looked directly at him. Their gazes sent a chill up his spine. He could make out two pairs of eyes, green and blue, but both giving off an odd and strange, somewhat surreal, feeling. He slowed to a stop, his eyes meeting their own. They were done up in rags; cloaks, most would say. Certainly an uncommon dress. They continued to watch, like vultures anxiously awaiting something to happen. He finally turned away, back to his friends, and called for them to turn around and wait up, and the pairs of eyes followed his calls to the group in curiosity.

Will opened his mouth to speak, but the minute air came from his lips, his head filled with a sharp pain that slowly spread across his head and face in ebbing waves, "Ah..." He stopped mid-breath, causing everyone else to stop, too, "God, my head..." He groaned as he rubbed it softly. Kara rushed over to aid, but was stopped by Will, who thrust his arms out in sudden, wide-eyed suffering. He screamed loudly as the pain grew enormous, like a his was being split by an ax, only slower and less merciful. He dropped to his knees and fell to his side, drawing the of attention of the hurried crowds around them. The concrete below him felt ice cold, like chilled metal against bare flesh, and then nothing as a frightening numbness overwhelmed every part of his body that wasn't driving him mad with pain.

"Will..."

Will threw himself about on the ground like a dying fish, his friends circling in worry around to help him up. With each hand that shot down to raise him off the ground, though, he'd reply with an aimless, target-less kick, "Stop it! Stop it, please!" He felt a few of the kicks meet with something, but human or not, he couldn't tell.

"Will... you... needed... You are needed, Will!" A voice rang sharper in his head, making the pain all the more worse. Will turned his head up to look at Kara's whitened, horrified face as she screamed wordless pleas. His friends trying to calm him, their mouths forming words that had no sounds beyond the voice in his own mind.

"What? What is it, stop it!" People had flipped out cell phones to call 911 and rushed to his side to try and diagnose him. His screams had run dry, and were now replaced by loud moans and whimpers of sore agony. The voice boomed again in his head, each word draining more and more energy from him. He felt his own eyes go dim, despite his sight already being fuzzy and blindingly bright. A white sheet of pain now hid his friend's faces, nothing left to tell him that there was someone there.

"Forevermore, a hero you will be. Find me... find me within..." This harsh voice-- Was it female?-- slowly became a mere murmur, and as it faded, a new sound came into play. The shrieks of the thousands of people as a low rumbling made it through the through the throbbing in his head. His sight was still the horrid light, and voices seemed to be noise, not language. He felt the ground shift and turn wildly beneath him, and the crumbling and crashing of demolition. He wanted to turn and see, but remained a paralyzed body splayed out on the sidewalk he couldn't feel. Screams! They made his heart jump as the people ran by his head, what felt like only inches away from trampling him. Then the most sickening sound. A roar. One that couldn't belong to anything on earth. It was a fantastical sound that soared above him and brushed him with heavy gusts of wind each time it passed by.

Kara couldn't make anymore noise for Will to hear, anyway, after her next sight.


	2. Wide eyed & Senseless

**Forevermore**

Chapter Two: Wide-eyed & Senseless

Kara's breath grew still in her lungs, and she uttered no noise. Spare the noise of her near silent attempts to make words, try to explain what she saw, try and tell herself to wake up.

A bug. That was all she could think about it. A creature that looked like it stretched on forever, covered in a smooth, reflective green shell. Bulging, mindless eyes spun dizzily as the sunlight hit them, and gruesome antennae swung back and forth like the chains on a swing set. It's body carved arcs in the air as it sprung from the beneath the asphalt and crashed stupidly into buildings before diving down beneath the surface again for a surprise attack. People thundered by in a frightful display of chaos. Kara's mind leapt back to Will for a moment, who still lay there, now motionless. Her friends were still, mouths agape and eyes wide, as if they could think of nothing else to do.

Hot breath. A vile smelling breath that sunk to her shoulders like a sticky slime. Kara lifted her head, and blank stare across her face as her eyes met with the bug's. It hissed, spilling a thick liquid at her feet that reeked of dead bodies. It was going too fast. It was like the parts in the movies where things went so fast, you didn't understand until it until the end where it all came together.

But there was no end. No explanation to the sudden explosion of events that left her and her friends unable to move or speak, and barely breathe with frozen lungs. Eric was the only one still moving. He dove against the tall Seth instinctively and closed his eyes as the creature readied to kill them all in one swift clamp of it's fang-like mandibles. Kara shut her eyes, too, and drew in what was to be her last breath.

But it never came. Kara opened her eyes as the creature withdrew it's head and shook it. A noisy hiss and pig-like squeal escaped it's jaws as Kara looked to see what caused the beasts retreat.

"A sword?" She squawked and backed up. There, thrust down into its skull between it's tiniest pair of eyes was a sword. A golden, brilliantly shined sword that drew green goo from the creature. It frantically dug back into the ground, knocking the blade out and sending it spinning and clattering across the ground. The quake released by the beast's tunneling through everyone to the ground on their hands and knees, and Lance watched as the impossibly heavy blade slowed until it touched his fingertips. The barest touch drew blood to the surface, and Lance watched as the sword lifted from the ground by a strong hand, eyes following up

"Take them away! I'll fend it off for a little longer!" The voice commanded, and once again, the rumbling of the creatures return sounded. Kara's vision swung as she felt herself be taken by the hand. A cloaked figure was urging her forward with one arm, and draped in the other was Will, slowly gaining his senses back and looking far less daze.

Kara had always been taught never, _ever_ follow or listen to strangers. They couldn't be trusted, no matter how friendly they seemed. When one's life is in danger, those lessons seem to make little impression. Kara nodded and began to flee alongside her desperately scurrying friends. Her mind was blank. She wanted to think, but all focus was on her feet, and she instantly became a track-star, even in her little pink mary-jane shoes.

They ran for cover. Running far proved no challenge for the bug, and as long as they were crammed into the claustrophobic alley between the coffee shop and run-down dance studio, they seemed safe. Kara raised her eyes to the person who had hauled them away, and instantly a wave of security ran over her.

"Thank you, sir... or ma'am." She said, trying to beat down the remnants of fear and talk, "If you and your friend didn't save us..." the figure stayed still and quiet, hooded face peering around the corner to keep watch, "If you two didn't save us, we would've been crushed." She gulped heavily, the words leaving a stone of heavy emptiness in her throat. Only silence replied, and Kara grew worried, "Hey, are you okay?"

"It's not over yet. Please, speak quieter." The figure responded, in a voice she was sure the alley was making echo. It sounded unnatural.

"I was just thanking--"

"It will hear you." It spoke softly, and Kara hushed immediately until a gigantic thud shook the ground and the fighting stopped. The girl in pink turned the corner and saw nothing. Just a tremendous hole the bug had dug in escape. No noise came from the ground, and it was gone, "You are welcome."

"Where... did it? What was?" She babbled incoherently as the taller figure neared, sword hoisted over his-- at this point, the friends were sure it was male-- shoulder.

"You are Kara?" He said, letting the sword's tip rest in the ground beside him after it was lifted from it's place.

"Yes, Kara Edwards."

"And that is Will?"

"Yes, that's my friend Will. Wh-what do you want?" She crossed her arms, "I'm not saying anymore until I know what's going on!"

"It wasn't anything much. More bark than bite. You see, bugs aren't the smart--"

"_Bugs_ are not six-hundred feet long and able to dig through concrete! Are you insane?" The bugs were bad, someone who thought them normal might be worse. Maybe trusting them wasn't a good idea. They could be escapee mental patients! Kara bit her tongue a bit, hoping she had done the right thing.

"Not all of them, of course. Some are smaller, and just spit fire or bite."

"No, none of them are -that- big, and spitting fire!" Lance leapt out next, skidding to a shaky halt.

Seth walked out, Eric still clutching fast to his pant leg and quaking, "Sir, just tell us, who are you? And what was that?"

The man stood still, a little taken aback. He shot a look to his companion, who only whispered something harshly to him. The man threw his head back in a slow nod, as if he had just recalled something, "My apologies. I had forgotten Gaia's will for you all." He knelt down on one knee and pulled his hood of rags back, producing a handsome, masculine face and endless waterfalls of golden blonde hair. His eyes were a crystal blue, and his face softened from a smile to an expression of sincere respect, "I am Gaia's servant, Freedan Sebastian. I am the dark knight, and warrior of all consumed by the necessary darkness. It is an honor to meet you all again, for we have met before."

A stunned silence befell the group.

"If the police station is still standing, I'm so gonna be there for your booking." Lance turned, for a moment analyzing his surroundings like a GPS, and then turning to make a break for the sheriff's department.

"I would advise staying with us. That is, unless, you have a thing for baby Sand Fangers. I'm sure the big one left us some." Lance stopped mid-step and froze up with a grimace.

"Babies?" Seth cocked his head and looked around. Indeed, he could spot some strange egg-like orbs. They slowly squirmed with the life they had within, and Seth gulped and withdrew a step, "Lance, I think we should at least let him explain himself. We were just attacked by a gigantic centipede."

"Trust me. I would not lie to you. In fact, it is my job, and the job of my friend here, to protect you all. We have been sent by Gaia into this new world, for an imbalance in universal power has again arisen." Freedan stood, a solid layer of dark steel armor now visible from under the cloak.

"Gaia, the Greek and Roman goddess of earth." Seth nodded, and although doubtful, there wasn't much else to believe. Lance watched a grumbled, knowing full well Seth took an odd interest in anything supernatural or out of the norm. It was creepy how much more intrigued he was than frightened or confused.

"You guys are crazy! Both of you!" Kara said shakily backing up, but she was stopped immediately. A hand laid itself on her sticky, slimy shoulder. It was Will, who was using his other hand to cradle his head tenderly. His vision had cleared and he had been listening in to the commotion. He hadn't seen the bug, but he knew exactly what it looked like, and what it did and how it fled, and to be perfectly frank, it was scaring him a little. For some reason, these strangers seemed all to familiar, like Kara, when he had only just seen _one's _ face. He couldn't keep quiet any longer, and raised a cracking voice suddenly to address the young woman.

"Kara, I think they're telling the truth..." he took a deep breath, as if hesitating, not sure if his addition in this conversation would make things better or worse. He did, after all, appear to have a head injury, "For a while, I've been having these... these dreams. They're of me, running through temples and fighting monsters, just like those." His voice shook a moment, "I wake up screaming every time, and my head hurts like crazy..." He looked up at Freedan, "and I think I heard Gaia. I think I heard her in my head."


	3. The Safe Haven

**Forevermore**

Chapter Three: The Safe Haven

The massive statues of Dark Space stood quiet, as they had been for ages. The air held no heat or cold, and Gaia's stern face remained in a sleepy, emotionless state. Two statues flanked her. To the left, the awe-inspiring statue of a knight, near 10 feet tall from base to top. A gleaming sword reflected the stars around them, and his head was held high with pride. To the right, another statue only a few inches smaller. This one was a swirling mass of stone flames, within which a lithe, sprite-like being hid.

Gaia's looming head watched into the nothingness of the portal which, in ancient times, would let the knights of darkness and light pass through to speak with her. Since the defeat of her younger sister, however, it now remained a silent gateway. Or so Gaia had thought.

"Sister, sister." A wicked voice sung. Like a newly rotten peach, the voice was sickeningly sweet. Gaia's slumber was abruptly stopped when she heard the familiar voice.

"Dark Gaia..." She said with a sharp grimace.

"Oh, don't call me that. We're both Gaia, practically the same person." She purred, "But soon," her voice became low and malicious, "I'll be the only Gaia." She said, as though tired of it.

"You've said that many a time, sister." Gaia's matured face scanned Dark Space momentarily. _Good._ It was telepathic. Dark Gaia hadn't found her sister's safe haven yet. They were both equally strong, and if Dark Gaia were to find her here, she, with enough great magical effort, could put harm to the older goddess, "And for each time you have said it, the Earth's warriors have stopped you. You must learn that we govern together. Chaos and Order."

Gaia could hear Dark's tantrum starting, "And it will change!" She calmed again, "Your little knights, you mean? Granted, they have been troublesome in the past..." She said with a sigh, "But, look at them. Your strongest warriors are _rocks_, and let us not even hold out our hopes on the young ones. The have no concern, nay, memory of you!"

"Sister. Do not start this quarrel again."

"Do not start this quarrel again," Dark mocked with a sneer, "Teehee, well, you old hag, this time will be different."

Gaia had quickly tired of this argument , "Be at peace where you are," She said forcefully, "and govern the world's chaos. I ask nothing more of you."

Dark became flustered at once at her sister's lack of interest in her plans, "You are not even the slightest bit worried about what I may have in store? You almost didn't make it through that last little scheme of mine. My baby comet gave you a run for your money." She giggled, trying to gain control, "Perhaps, you would like to know what will cause your downfall?"

"Dark Gaia, leave me be and do your job. I have no interest in your plans. If the need arises, I will deal with your plots when the time comes."

Dark growled, "Really, now?" she hissed quietly, "I have some friends helping me. some friends you might know... and are deathly afraid of." Gaia stayed stone silent, "My new company, they're not a terribly impressive bunch, but they will do for dealing with my foolish older sister. I do believe you know of the High Mage, Calian?"

Gaia became immediately alerted, "Calian was not to be released from his tomb, sister! By agreement of both chaos and order!" The noise of the argument was stirring the two warriors beside Gaia, slowly letting them hear in on the conversation.

"That was before you became an ornery old bitch, and before I got the little idea in my head that you were doing nothing but wasting about in a heap. You need _warriors_? I did most of my work by my own hand, sister, while you had to call on people to stop it. Isn't it supposed to be the children suckling off the mother? Not the other way around?" She laughed, a sharp, hideous noise that could drive dogs out of their minds, "And Calian isn't my only surprise, sissy."

"You are disobeying all that even we are supposed to obey!" Gaia barked back.

"And you are to weak to stop me!" It felt as though Dark was right by her sister's head, leaning into her ear for a cruel taunt, "Look at yourself. With such little power left, it should take no time at all for Calian to hunt you out. And when he does, your little shit-hole in space is mine."

Gaia was not one to be startled easily. She had maintained composure throughout all her previous trails; the first attack of Calian, a mage who tried to control Gaia, the chaos comet, and even this new onslaught of technology that even she was a little unprepared for. Calian was a mage who would have a personal hatred towards her, as she was the one to have sealed him up by her own hand in a tomb in Dao, but having been trapped for so long would've greatly depleted his power.

"And once I get there, the little sylphdine is easily mine, born of my own little comet and all. That cute blondie knight may prove a _slight _problem, but he'll eventually fall, too!" She sniggered, "Then you."

"Not even Calian has the power to find me. He's far too weak still from being imprisoned."

"We'll see about that." Then the voice was gone. Gaia stayed quiet a while longer, before finally addressing the two knights.

"You two have heard." She said, a little mournfully, "Wherever Dark Gaia acquired the power to wander past her safe haven again, she has it now, and undoubtedly is going to try to take power of our balance again."

Freedan was the first to speak, "My goddess... what can we do? I'm prepared to do anything to save you."

"You cannot save me. Not alone. Neither can you Shadow." Shadow remained quiet, "But I am afraid Dark Gaia might find me here."

"Then we will protect you here!" Freedan's voice boomed across the vast space, "Let her come!" Gaia only shook her head feebly.

"Freedan. I understand your rage, but you and Shadow are far more vulnerable than me to the influence of my sister, and far more valuable to the immediate safety of Earth. You know well what would happen if my sister gained control of you two with one of her spells. It would only give her two more on her side." Freedan hushed and his statue began to animate again, thrusting his head about with a heavy motion to stare away from her, half in realization of the truth, half in denial, "You two cannot protect me like this. I need you for another task."

"Goddess?" Shadow chirped quietly, awaiting her request.

"Find Will and Kara, and all of their friends. Apparently, their job as knights is not yet over." She turned to face them, "Dark Gaia will go after them first, with every creature at her disposal. She knows that you all pose threat to her. Find them, protect them, and please, stop Dark Gaia on your own."

"But, if she finds you and we are not here..." Shadow turned to look at her again, rampant stone flames dying down to a transparent ribbon of blue mist that curled about him lazily. Freedan began to become his normal self as well, color restored and the sound of breathing coming from his mouth.

"I will be fine." She smiled softly, "Only she alone can enter Dark Space, and only she alone can attack me. We are both equal, and I will fight her will as long as I can. Now go. I will leave you near him, with enough to keep you out of view. I sense my sister already has something in store for them."

---

Will heard Freedan tell the story with a saddened look on his face, "Why are we so important? We're just teenagers..." He was leading them back to his apartment. Grandpa Bill should already be out jogging, and Grandma Lola would've been shopping. It was the only place to keep them safe and out of view. Will figured that's what they were going for, anyway. Besides, it'd be hard to do anything with people calling the police because of crazy cosplayers overrunning California.

"In a past life, one that you do not recall, you were a hero." Shadow spoke, still clutching the cloak about him self-consciously. Freedan had his hood drawn back, but it was obvious that he was wearing armor. People around them in this part of the city were only now figuring something had going wrong downtown, probably evident from the dozens of fire trucks, ambulances, and police cars zooming past, "You, and Kara here, are the latest in the line of the Knights of Darkness and Light. When you completed you battle against the chaos comet, you both lost your memories, and were placed here to live as normal children."

"Man, you guys get cool past lives..." Lance said, finally warming up to the idea that it was true.

"Ah, but you were there, too. All of you were, and more. He couldn't have gotten as far as he did without all of you." Freedan waved to a woman as he watered her window plants, causing her to abruptly drop her watering can and duck back inside. Will shrunk into his shoulders.

"Did I get laid?" Lance brightly bounced up to the knight, "Please tell me I at least got laid back then..."

"Laid? Well, I wasn't a firsthand witness to any of that, but you had a girlfriend with blue hair."

"Freaking awesome." Lance cackled giddily. Will tittered before looking to Freedan.

"Why did our memories get erased?" He asked as they neared the apartment building, "Why not let us keep them? Or just leave the world as is?"

"The comet was gone. It's influence over the world was gone, and therefore, the world regained balance. And Gaia wanted for you to not be burdened with such a tiring journey on your minds, so she made you have all the memories of a normal childhood." Shadow looked from Will to Kara from under the cloak, "Right before you and Kara transformed into me for the last time, you two promised to find each other, even without memory. Of course, she fated you two to meet again. It was all very sweet."

Kara blushed profusely, and turned away from Will to smile to herself, as well as Seth and Eric, who smirked upon seeing it. Will blushed as well, "We... were... in love?" He looked to Kara, but the minute she looked back at him, he looked back to the two guardians in wild embarrassment, "Wait, did you say... _transform_?" He looked up.

"That was your power. You were telekinetic and could transform in to me, or Shadow." Freedan opened the door upon receiving confirmation of it from Will, "There were many odd powers back there, and more monsters. You're were unique to you, though."

Freedan continued to retell stories of their adventures in strange lands, and all the weird things they had seen, all the people they had met, and sometimes saved, as they all climbed the stairs up to Will's apartment. Questions bombarded the two guardians relentlessly, like 'What was the old world like?' or 'Did we look the same?', and Eric even spoke up to ask, "Why did Dark Gaia come back? I thought you said she had been defeated."

"Not eradicated, however. She is necessary to retain balance in the world., but every once in a while, she comes back to try and become the top dog. It's never been this fast, though. Technically, it hasn't even really been a year since her last vanquishing. She must have someone else helping her and giving her power..."

"For now, let's try and figure everything out. And make you guys a little less... noticeable." He noted for Kara and Eric to take Shadow, and for Freedan to follow the other three into Bill's room. Maybe Will's grandfather would still have some clothes from his younger days...

---

Sand Fanger whimpered pathetically as it felt around the ground of the ruins tentatively, "So this is where you found them?" The baby sand fangers had since hatched, and were now huddled to their parent's exoskeleton. Sand Fanger only lifted it's still wounded head up to look at the source of the voice.

A relatively tiny, thin woman with dark, earthy skin and long straight locks of pearly, light hair appeared behind the insect. Her hair was braided into countless tiny braids from behind the front bangs, back into a long ponytail, and that hung down like rope waterfalls. One, upon closer inspection, could find that woven into the braids were withered rose stems, thorns large and visible against her light blonde hair but petals long gone. Excusing the large black rose poking it's bloom out of the top of her ponytail. She wore a long, dark gold dress with scarves of bright sandy silk sewn into it. Her plump lips curled into a smile as she pet the Sand Fanger's head affectionately, "Don't worry, sweetie." She cooed innocently, "Those little pests won't be bothering us too much longer..." She giggled, as she picked up Will's baseball cap, and looked at it shortly before putting it on herself, "Hm, I don' see what Sissy doesn't get about this world. I love these new fashions. Time for some shopping, my dear?"

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**Author's note:**

Oh noes, Dark the evil air head is going shopping, but don't worry, you won't have to read through all of that (might make a good mini-fic, though). Anywho, for those wondering, a sylphdine (made up word) is a cross between an undine (water energy elemental) and a sylph (wind energy elemental). I could not freaking find a better way to describe or generic term to use in reference to Shadow. Look those two things up on google.images or something. 3

Anyhow, chapter 4 will come up eventually, and hopefully things will move faster. Dankuu for reading!


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